Regulator and relief valve



May 1, 1934. w. T. BIRCH REGULATOR AND RELIEF VALVE Filed Feb. 3, 19333mm dim? 77' ML Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEREGULATOR AND RELIEF VALVE William T. Birch, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 3, 1933, Serial No. 655,120

4 Glaims. (CI. 50-23) The present invention relates to fluid pressureThe inlet 11 communicates with a low pressure regulators, and moreparticularly to regulators chamber 15 through a vertical port 16 in aweb used in conjunction with pressure relief valves 17 positionedbetween the low pressure chamber in closed hot water heating systems.and the inlet.

The regulator herein described is an improve- In vertical alinement withthe port 16, the base 50 ment of the regulator described in my copendingof the casing has an enlarged opening normally application Serial No.528,554, filed on April 8, closed by a screw cap 18 adapted to supportthe 1931, and is, in part, a continuation of that aplower end of acylindrical screen 19, and being replication. movable to permit cleaningof the parts and to 10 It is an object of the invention to providepermit inspection of and removal of a valve govmeans to preventchattering and noisy operation erning fluid flow through the port 16.The casing of a fluid pressure regulator, and to thereby over- 10 andthe cap 18 have engaging shouldered porcome a serious objection toregulators when intions at 20 so that by means of a suitable gasketstalled in homes, offices, and public buildings between the shoulders atight joint is secured.

where a noisy regulator is a nuisance, and at When the cap 18 is inposition the upper end of 0 times causing apprehension as to the safetyof the screen 19 abuts the web 1'7 around the port 16 the occupants ofthe building. and the screen is effective to filter water passing It isalso an object of the invention to provide from the inlet 11 to the lowpressure chamber 15. an improved valve construction whereby a Ven- Inthe port 16 there is centrally positioned a 20 turi ch nn l efiect i pruced by the c opervalve stem 21. The upper end of the stem 21 is 75ating valve head and seat and smooth functionenlarged at 22 to provide alarge bearlng area, and ing of the regulator is accomplished. iscontinued in reduced section to its end where It is also an object ofthe invention to provide a nut 23 is threaded on. The nut 23 has an enanimproved valve head construction to reduce larged lower portion 24providing a large bearing 25 wear of the parts subject to fluid flow andtherearea. 80 by provide a regulator having a long life and The stem 21is centrally supported by a pair of requiring the minimum of expense andeffort to dished diaphragms 25 which are seated on the maintain it ingood working order. casing 10, and which are held in position by a It isalso an object of the invention to provide hood 26 screwed into positionto engage the marresilient cushioning means cooperable with a ginalportions of the diaphragms, inamanner de- 85 valve and its actuatingmeans to provide smooth scribed fully in my copending application Serialand positive functioning of the valve as it moves No. 528,554, filed onApril 8, 1931. The relatively to the Closing position, d reby preventlarge bearing area of the enlarged portion 22 of hun 0f he Valve aboutits Closing PUSH/i011 the stem is effective to prevent wabbling of theand noise and water hammer that would otherstem as the diaphragms move.90 wise accompany hunting of the valve. Interposed between thediaphragms 25 and the In the drawing: enlarged portion 22 of the stem 15is a washer 27 of Figure 1 shows regulator and relief valve strucfiber,or a similar material. ture with parts in elevation and in section.Intel-posed between the enlarged portion 24 of Figure 2 shows details ofthe valve with parts the nut 23 is another washer 28, of soft rubber or95 in elevation, and in section, and with parts the like. broken. A cap29, of soft rubber, or the like, is fitted over Figure 3* is a plan viewof the valve head of the nut 23 and the cap is provided with an integ-Figure 2, with shade lines to indicate the curvaral terminal flange 30to provide a seat for the ture of the parts. lower end of a coiledcompression spring 31 housed 100 Referring particularly to Figure 1, thereguin the hood 26. lator unit has a casing indicated generally at 10,An adjusting screw 32 is threaded through the and the casing is p a y detegral with head of the hood 26, and bears against a pressure a casienclosing a p e relief lve f u plate 33 provided with a lower portionreduced to in hot Wate heating y At e en the enter the spring 31. A cap33, of soft rubber, or 105 casing 10 is provided with a water inlet 11,into the like, is fitted over the reduced portion of the which a waterservice pipe is connected in use, pressure plate to provide a resilientseat for the and at the other end there is an outlet 12 comupper end ofthe spring 31. municating with a relief valve unit 13 through a It willnow be obvious that the dished diapassaged neck 14. phragms provide astem actuating means having a snap action, and that the washers 27 and28 and the caps 29 and 33 provide means to eliminate metallic noises inthe operating of the regulator in service. These means also perform theadditional function of actuating as resilient connectors between thestem and the spring to prevent hunting of the valve, to be described,about its closing position, at which position there is a tendency forthe valve to hunt as the pressure differential decreases. The port 16 isprovided with a valve seat member 34 which is threaded in position inthe web 17, and the seat member is provided with an enlarged portion 35to abut the web and form a tight joint therewith. The lower end of theseat member 34 is provided with an extension 36 which is rounded at itsseating portion to cooperate with a valve head, to be described, toproduce a Venturi channel eifect.

Near its lower end, the stem is enlarged at 3'7, and the enlargementpresents a fiat lower seating face and a convex curved upper face 38with a relatively large radius.

The lower end of the stem 21 is threaded, and a shallow metal cup orsocket 39 is threaded on the stem, and is held in assembled positionthereon by a screw cap 40 fitted over the lower end of the stem.

Molded into the socket 39 is the valve head 41 of a rubber compositionresistant to the action of hot water, and having a hardness of in thevicinity of 55 as indicated by a durometer. It will be' noted that themolded composition is shaped so that it and the enlarged portion 38 ofthe stem 21 together present a valve head having a substantiallyhemispherical surface. The composition 41 is adapted to engage theextension 36 01" the valve seat member 34 and cooperate therewith tocontrol the flow of fluid through the port 16. As the valve opens, asbest shown in Figure 2, the cooperating surfaces of the valve seat andthe valve head are adapted to produce a Venturi efiect in the flow offluid, and thereby reduce resistance to flow and the occurrence ofeddies in the flow of fluid through the port.

Because of the manner in which the valve parts have been shaped it hasbeen found possible, with a given size of valve, to fill the heatingsystem with water in but a fraction of the time heretofore necessary,with a pronounced saving in the cost of labor.

As the regulator valve of a hot water heating system moves about itsclosing position it hunts and chatters. Probable causes of this huntingand chattering are fluid inertia, eddies, inertia of the moving partsand the periodicity of the sprng and diaphragm.

The value of my invention closes silently and positively, and theresilient caps on the pressure member and on the nut perform thefunction of eliminating metallic conduction of sound and metal to metalclicking or hammering, and also that of modifying the periodicity of themoving system and the manner in which force is applied to the movingvalve.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of constructionmay be varied through a wide range without departing from the principlesof this invention, and it is, therefore, not purposed to limit thepatent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a regulator for a hot water heating system, a metal casing adaptedto be connected to the piping of the system, a metal diaphragm in thecasing, a coiled compression metal spring engaging the diaphragm and thecasing, a valve having its stem secured to the diaphragm for actuationof the valve by the spring and the diaphragm, and silencing meansinterposed between the casing and the spring and between the spring andthe diaphragm.

2. In a regulator for a hot water heating system, a metal casing adaptedto be connected to the piping of the system, a valve in the casing, aplura ty of metal members in the casing movably connected to said valveto actuate the valve, and silencing means of soft rubber interposedbetween said metal members.

3. A regulator comprising a casing, a ported member having a roundedterminal portion providing a valve seat a valve stem positioned movablecentrally in said ported member, a non-metallic valve secured to saidstem to abut a portion thereof, said valve and said stem portion beingshaped to present a substantially hemispherical convex surface wherebyto produce a Venturi effect as the valve opens to permit flow of liquid,valve actuating means, said valve actuating means comprising a metaldiaphragm connected to said stem, a coiled compression spring connectedto said diaphragm, and a non-metallic resilient member interposedbetween said spring and said diaphragm.

4. A regulator comprising a casing, a ported cylindrical member having arounded terminal portion providing a valve seat, a valve stem positionedmovable centrally in said ported member, a shallow metal cup secured insaid stem, a nonmetallic valve member in said cup and positionedabutting an enlarged portion of said stem, said enlarged portion of saidstem and said valve member being shaped to present together asubstantially hemispherical convex surface whereby to produce a Venturieifect as the valve opens to permit fiow of water.

WILLIAM T. BIRCH.

